Laura Ingraham’s dismissive attitude towards the pope is nothing compared to the anger and vitriol directed at him by radio host Michael Savage.

One wonders what motivated Arroyo to invite Savage on the November 23, 2017 episode of The World Over Live program. Savage, who is not and has never been Catholic, was promoting his latest book. Early in the upbeat, sympathetic interview, Arroyo told Savage, “I’ve read so many of your books, I’ve been listening to you for years.”

Now, we can’t expect a television host to be aware of all of the views of all of his guests. But one imagines it would be impossible listen to Michael Savage for years and not be aware of his anti-Catholic (and oftentimes repugnant) views on immigration, gun control, war, the death penalty, Islam, the economy, the environment, and a host of other issues.

And surely Arroyo can’t be unaware of Savage’s opinion of Pope Francis. Savage has ranted about the Holy Father on the air many times. A quick search on YouTube yields numerous videos of his radio diatribes against Francis. A small sampling:

On his broadcast of September 21, 2015, he said, “The pope is a moron. He is one of the stupidest people I have ever encountered in the history of the intellectual world. He is perhaps the dumbest man on Earth.”

The following day, he upped the ante, calling Francis a “double-talking liar,” a “hypocrite,” and a “political operative.”

On his program on March 25, 2016, which was also Good Friday, Savage said, “I think the pope is insane, I think he’s a deranged socialist fool.”

And yet, Savage’s EWTN interview was warm and friendly. Arroyo’s admiration for Savage and his work was obvious. Arroyo pitched one softball question after another, and the two discussed Savage’s view of the role of faith in society. At no point did Arroyo challenge Savage’s position; rather he emphasized the common ground between them. A courtesy he rarely extends to the Holy Father.

The brashness of inviting such a brazen enemy of the Church on an ostensibly Catholic program is difficult to fathom. And yet Arroyo did just that, without repercussion and without apology.